Roost 'steps' / poo bin / nest boxes / feeder - update with pics!

[skatcatla]

That looks great!! I LOVE the idea of the poo bin! When I build my coop I'll need to borrow that idea too!

 

[wortgames]

Thanks for the compliments!

Quote:
Hehehe, yep, 3 just isn't enough - Mrs Games keeps giving the eggs away to family and friends and that doesn't leave many for poaching! I think 6 is a nice number, there's still plenty of room for them and they'll still seem 'free-range'.

The 'scrap yard' came about through necessity really, but it works extremely well. The plum trees have that end of the yard fairly well shaded and make it difficult to grow anything else there anyway. Also, I felt that the chickens' existing run was a bit cramped and boring, as well as being permanently under cover. The front fence of the run was in need of repair anyway so I decided to remove it instead, and fence the veggies in rather than the chooks. It works well - the old run gives us a handy shed of sorts, and the chickens have a larger area and more interesting things to climb over, as well as free choice of sun or shade. The scrap yard is big enough to dump all the chook straw and garden cuttings, and the girls spread it out and help it break down. Plenty of habitat for bugs etc and all the nutrients eventually go into the plums.

I'm a bit concerned about all the fresh poo burning the plum trees though, so I'll keep a close eye on them. I'm considering putting in a separate compost bin just for the chook straw, so that it can rot down and we can use it on the veggies once it is a couple of years old.